


Firsts

by shmulia



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, and sven is a dog, anna is a student, coffee shop AU, in which kristoff is a barista
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-04-10 22:06:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4409546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shmulia/pseuds/shmulia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kristoff’s a barista at his family’s coffee shop. Anna’s a student at Arendelle University. After they meet, they make note of their firsts - the good and the bad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Firsts

The first time he meets her, she’s in the way. The coffee shop is packed as the new students explore Arendelle for the first time. Kristoff knows that for a week they’ll be busy serving freshmen whose idea of college is sitting in coffee shops, reading books in order to seem intellectual. It’s not a bad thing by any means, but it’s difficult for Kristoff, who isn’t exactly petite, to move around the cosy cafe when it’s so busy.

He’s on waiting duty as well as making drinks that day, as although the flow of students _into_ the cafe has ebbed, the barrage of drinks orders doesn’t seem to be decreasing. Bulda’s managing to keep the drinks coming, and Kristoff weaves amongst the seats to deliver them as gracefully as he can.

He’s getting the order for some guy with sideburns (and Kristoff can’t help but wonder how exactly somebody makes the decision to grow sideburns when they’re _twenty_ ) when he can’t get to the cake section. She’s leaning on the counter, waiting to give her order, just in front of the selection of baked goods on offer. There’s no room for Kristoff to squeeze past, so, as politely as possible, he taps her on the shoulder to get her attention.

She turns around, and Kristoff is speechless. She smiles at him politely, her blue eyes curious. For a second Kristoff is lost; he’s never seen eyes like hers, and he thinks he could drown in them.

“Can I help you?” She asks, sounding slightly concerned. Kristoff remembers why he’s at the counter, and drags himself out of the depths of her eyes.

“Carrot cake,” he says, and immediately berates himself internally. The girl’s nose scrunches in confusion, and somehow she manages to look pretty as she does it.

“Sorry, I need to get to the carrot cake behind you,” Kristoff elaborates. The girl makes a little “oh” noise, and moves out of the way.

“Sorry!” she says, sliding away from the cake counter so he can take a slice of cake.

“No problem, thanks!” Kristoff says, smiling at her, as he walks away back to Sideburns. He deposits the carrot cake in front of him, and gets back to taking and delivering orders. He doesn’t speak to her again (there’s too many customers, and soon Kristoff’s siblings have to help out with the orders), but notices that she takes a seat next to Sideburns, and the two leave together.

Kristoff sighs later as he wipes down the tables at closing time. Of course the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen had a boyfriend.

                                                                                                                               ***

The first time he properly talks to her is a week later. She comes to the coffee shop on her own this time; the freshman rush has already begun to die down, and Kristoff can only assume that Sideburns wasn’t fond enough of the cafe to return.

Although Bulda takes her order, she sends Kristoff to deliver it to the girl. He heads to her table, and pauses when he arrives; the table is covered in maps and notes, and he isn’t sure where to put the hazelnut mocha and chocolate cake she’s ordered. She’s absorbed in the atlas on her lap, and doesn’t notice Kristoff hovering in front of her. He clears his throat, drawing her attention to him.

“Hi. Sorry to disturb you, but is there somewhere I can put these down? I don’t want to ruin your notes...”

“Oh, I’m sorry! Here,” she says hastily, shoving some maps to one side of the table in order to make space. Kristoff carefully places the drink and cake down, careful not to spill any onto her work.

“Thanks,” he says, beginning to move away, “Enjoy!”

He’s walking back to the counter when she calls him back.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” she asks. Kristoff turns back to her. She looks nervous, twisting the end of one of her plaits between her fingers. Kristoff looks around, double checking she isn’t talking to someone else. When he realises that the three other people in the cafe aren’t looking up, he walks back to her.

“Uh, sure. What’s up?” he asks, immensely curious as to what she wants. She grins nervously, looking down at her map before she meets his eyes.

“This may sound really weird, but do you know anything about the North Mountain?” she asks, speaking quickly. Kristoff frowns slightly in confusion.

“Yeah, I’ve been up there a few times. Why?”

Her sheepish grin lights up into a smile.

“That’s amazing! Is there any chance you know the best route up there? I’m doing a travel and tourism degree, and we’re supposed to try and find a safe route up the mountain – hypothetically, of course, we aren’t actually going _up_ the mountain – to “increase Arendelle’s tourism opportunities”, but all these books say is “don’t go up the North mountain” which is _no_ help whatsoever!” As she speaks, her ice-blue eyes brighten with enthusiasm, and Kristoff can’t help but want to help her out.

“Well, you won’t find good routes in _those_. They encourage people not to go up the mountain, because if they get hurt it looks bad for Arendelle. Hold on a second,” he says, and leaves her to quickly grab the notebook he keeps in his bag. Checking on the other customers before he returns, he heads back to her table and holds out the slightly worn leather book in front of her.

“These are the best routes. They aren’t on any official map, but if you want a local’s opinion, then these are your best bet,” he says, suddenly nervous. He has no idea why he’s giving this stranger this much help, giving her a guide he worked hard to make on the North Mountain, but he can’t help himself.

The look she gives him is one of pure gratitude as she takes the book, and Kristoff is reassured when she handles the bound leather with great care, gently peeling back its pages. He can see that she’s about to lose herself in it, but before she can he tells her that he’ll need it back. She promises to return it before she leaves, and Kristoff trusts her; there’s something so _honest_ about her, Kristoff can’t help but be slightly entranced. As he walks back to the neglected tables to leave her to work, she calls out to him.

“Thank you so much! I’m Anna, by the way!”

                                                                                                                           ***

The first time he hears her laugh, _really_ laugh, is on a Wednesday. Their friendship is still new, still delicate, but growing stronger and stronger. She’s a regular in the coffee shop now, and knows all the staff by name. Bulda _adores_ her, and has decided that she wants the strawberry-blonde as a daughter-in-law. No matter how many times Kristoff tells her about Anna’s boyfriend (whose name, Kristoff has learned, sadly isn’t Sideburns, but Hans), Bulda refuses to listen, and is apparently trying to bribe Anna into marrying Kristoff by giving her free slices of cake.

It isn’t working, but Anna has certainly appreciated the cake.

She comes in three times a week, and Kristoff has started to take his break during her arrival to spend time with her, unless she’s bogged down by work (in which case he gives Anna her regular order, which he knows by heart now, and leaves her to it – but she always makes sure to say goodbye to the blonde barista). He’s learned a lot about her – about her sister, Elsa, who takes a politics course and has been distant towards Anna for the past few years, but who’s trying to bridge the gap between her and her sister now; about her boyfriend, Hans, who’s one of thirteen children and apparently quite well off, as well as on the fencing team; about her travel and tourism course, and her dreams of travelling the world; about her new puppy, Olaf, who she just _adores._ It doesn’t take much effort to be Anna’s friend, and Kristoff falls for her a bit more with each titbit of information she provides. But he knows she’s unavailable, and is satisfied with her friendship: Anna is one of a kind, and she and Kristoff’s friendship means more to him than he can express.

He’s taking off his apron in the back room, ready for his break, when his phone rings. It’s the vet, calling about Sven’s upcoming operation, and it holds Kristoff up for a good fifteen minutes. When he finally comes out, the coffee shop is completely empty, except for one table.

He walks over to the table, noticing that Anna isn’t alone; Bulda is sat with her, and-

_Oh God._

He can tell what it is before he sees it properly. Bulda gets it out at nearly every opportunity, as proud of her family as anyone could be.

He sees Anna turn the page, and knows _exactly_ which picture in the photo album she’s looking at when she snorts with laughter, and doesn’t stop for about five minutes.

Well, Kristoff had thought that naked guitar playing was a _good_ idea when he was six...

                                                                                                                              ***       

 The first time he gives her a ride home is in late autumn. The coffee shop has quietened down since term started; the students had realised that reading in cafes isn’t an obligatory part of the college lifestyle, and the number of customers had decreased to a steady few. Kristoff wasn’t worried though; by exam time, numbers would pick up again. They always did.

Anna has started to stay longer in the coffee shop; when Kristoff asks why one day, she tells him it’s because she feels comfortable here, and works better. She blushes slightly, and says the company isn’t bad, either.

It’s early November, and the days are growing shorter. Closing time begins to bring darkness with it. It’s a rainy Friday evening, and Anna’s still in the cafe. She’s half buried in work, and Kristoff doesn’t want to take her out of the zone, but it’s seven o clock and they _really_ need to close. He apologetically taps her shoulder, and points out the time. She’s shocked by how long she’s been there, and begins to gather her notes up, flustered.

“I can’t believe it! Time flies, I guess, but when did it get to _seven?_ Ohhhhh Elsa’s going to _kill_ me, I _promised_ I would be home by half past and I won’t be, oh _god,_ I’m going to have to run, aren’t I? _”_ she says frantically. Kristoff frowns.

“You’re not walking home, are you?” he asks. She nods, zipping her bag shut and heaving it over her shoulder. Kristoff looks at the black sky, rain pelting the window as if it has a grudge against it, and doesn’t feel comfortable about this five-foot-four girl walking home alone, even if it _is_ only seven.

“Do you want a lift?” he blurts out. She pauses, following his gaze to the world outside the warm cafe’s window.

“Don’t you have to clean up?” she asks, sounding hopeful that the answer will be no. Kristoff chuckles, and gestures to the empty cafe.

“If you wait about two minutes for me to wipe down your table, I’ll be done, and we can still get you home on time.”

Anna grins, and throws her arms around him.

“Thank you so much! Do you need any help? What can I do?” she asks eagerly. Kristoff blinks, slightly dumbfounded by her open gesture of affection.

“Uh, you don’t need to do anything. It’s fine,” he replies. Anna pouts.

“Kristoff, you’re giving me a lift, I owe you one! Let me help. Please?”

Kristoff rubs the back of his head, inadvertently ruffling his hair. He doesn’t notice Anna’s eyes following the movements of his muscular arms, which are highlighted by the t-shirt he’s wearing.

“Ok, then can you take your cup to the kitchen? Saves me making two trips,” he says, and in a flash she’s moving towards the kitchen. He follows her, and grabs the cloth to wipe the table down behind the counter. In the kitchen, he can hear Grand Pabby greeting Anna warmly. Somehow, she’s met practically everyone in Kristoff’s family, and is adored by all of them.

They reconvene a moment later, Bulda and Grand Pabby following Anna out of the kitchen to wave the pair off, much to Kristoff’s embarrassment.

The drive to Anna’s house takes twenty minutes, and is the start of a new routine for the duo.

                                                                                                                                 ***

The first time she meets Sven is on one of their drives home. It’s become a regular occurrence, a result of the dark evenings and Kristoff’s sense of chivalry. Anna, refusing to mooch off Kristoff’s generous offer, tries to repay him (despite his protestations that she’s his _friend_ and he’s happy to give her a lift, besides, it’s on the way to his flat _anyway_ , which Anna waves off) by helping him clean up the coffee shop, and it’s a day in December when he asks her.

She can tell he’s feeling awkward about something when he hardly meets her eyes, and he does that _thing_ when he rubs the back of his neck all adorably, making it a bit difficult for Anna to remember that she has a boyfriend.

He tells her that he’s really sorry, but would it be ok if they made a detour on the way to her house?

“It won’t take long, I promise, it’s just the vet called and asked me to pick Sven up early – he’s recovered, and is apparently a bit too enthusiastic to be with the other animals, so if we could just quickly pick him up, it would save me having to go back after, and-”

“Kristoff!” Anna says, cutting him off. “It’s fine,” she smiles. “I’ve wanted to meet Sven for a while - it’ll be great!”

She’s waiting by the car when Kristoff goes in to collect Sven, and realises that she’s actually kind of nervous to meet a _dog._ But she knows how important Sven is to Kristoff, and can’t help but worry that he won’t like her.

Her fears are put to rest, however, when the chocolate Labrador bounds up to her, and for the rest of the journey home insists that she pets him by head butting her hand when it isn’t stroking him. When they arrive outside Anna’s house, she has to gently push the dog off of her lap and onto the backseat. As she walks to the fort door, Kristoff turns to Sven, smiling.

“So, you like her too then?”

                                                                                                                         ***

The first time he sees her cry, he wants to find Hans and punch the asshole in the face. Or the dick. Anywhere, really; he isn’t too fussed.

Anna doesn’t come to the coffee shop for a full week. Her absence is noticed by everyone, including the other regulars. Business has quietened down once again, with the coursework and exam season rush happily tiding the coffee shop over (at least until the next set of coursework comes along, undoubtedly pushing students into cafes to get their needed caffeine hit), and Anna’s unexplained absence is difficult to ignore.

Kristoff is worried about her, wondering whether something happened to her, when she walks in. He can tell something’s wrong instantly; her cheerful demeanour is gone, replaced by one of sadness. She smiles at Kristoff when she walks in, but he can tell her heart isn’t in it. He makes her the usual, making sure to cut an extra-large slice of cake to give her. When he places it in front of her, he tells her that it’s on the house. She opens her mouth to protest, and he cuts her off.

“Sorry, Bulda’s orders. It’s on the house today, okay?” He winks, and a small smile forms on her face.

“Thanks,” she says, her voice quieter than usual. She pulls a book from her bag, and Kristoff leaves her to it, not sure how to handle an Anna who isn’t continually chirpy.

An hour passes, and Kristoff doesn’t see Anna turn the pages of her book once.  He watches out of the corner of his eye as he wipes down an empty table, and sees her put the book down and rub her eyes. She’s close to tears, and Kristoff doesn’t know how to help: and then it hits him.

He goes to the kitchen to ask Grand Pabby if he can take the rest of the day off, explaining his idea; almost as soon as Pabby hears the words “Anna’s upset”, he grants the blonde permission. Kristoff grabs his hoodie, and walks over to Anna, who’s staring out of the window blankly.

“Hey,” he says, hesitantly. She turns to him, and tries to smile.

“Hey,” she replies. Looking at his change of clothes, she scrunches her nose in confusion. “What’s with the hoodie? Aren’t you working?”

Kristoff shrugs, attempting to be nonchalant. “I have the rest of the day off. I wondered if you want to see something cool. You know, if you’re not busy?” Anna blinks, and Kristoff realises it might sound like he’s hitting on her. “Just because you look sad, and that sucks, and I thought of something that might cheer you up. But we don’t have to, if you don’t want.” He tries to explain. Anna rubs her eyes, and puts her book away.

“Sure. Sounds good,” she says, standing up from her seat and slipping on her jacket.

The two quickly head to Anna’s house so she can pick up Olaf and tell Elsa she’ll be home late, and then to Kristoff’s to pick up Sven. He refuses to tell Anna where they’re going, insisting that it’s a surprise. When Kristoff finally parks, Anna looks at the sign in front of them, and raises an eyebrow.

“Your super secret surprise place is... the park by the North Mountain?” she asks, sounding dubious. Kristoff grins, and opens the door to let the Labrador and the Shih Tzu out of the backseat.

“Trust me,” Kristoff says. He begins to walk, causing Anna to follow him, Olaf yipping at Sven. They walk in silence for a while as Kristoff follows the path, looking at his left all the while. Anna is about to ask him what’s so intriguing about the left of the park when he stops abruptly. He grins, and turns to Anna.

“You ready?” He asks, and Anna is concerned that Kristoff’s method of cheering her up looks like it may involve walking into a tree. When she nods, Kristoff brushes aside branches from a low-hanging birch, making an opening for Anna. He nods, gesturing for her to enter, and she picks Olaf up into her arms to walk through. She looks up, and gasps.

It’s a different world; icicles hang from the trees, droplets suspended in the air in a frozen infinity. The grass fades as snow slowly covers it, with more and more leading up towards what she realises is the base of the mountain. She hears a crystalline sound, like wind chimes, and looks to see Sven leaping up at the ice decorating the low branches, causing them the crash together delicately. Kristoff moves next to her as she drinks it in.

“It’s the only place I know like it. It’s just far enough away from all the cars and pollution of the city to maintain its natural coolness. Or something like that, I guess. I just think there’s something... _magic_ about the North Mountain, which keeps this little part like this. It’s only in winter, of course; in summer it thaws, but around this time it becomes this frozen haven.” He pauses. “It’s my favourite place in Arendelle.”

Anna wanders closer to the mountain, her eyes following the trail that seems to lead upwards.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispers incredulously. Kristoff nods, and watches Anna look around the area, Olaf close to her chest. They stay silent, not wanting to disturb the tranquillity of their surroundings, when Anna starts to speak.

“I broke up with Hans,” she says, her voice a whisper. Kristoff freezes, not knowing how to respond. He waits for her to continue, hoping she isn’t expecting him to offer advice; when it comes to romance, it’s Bulda who’s the love expert, not him. She continues, not looking at the blonde.

“I found out he’d been cheating on me. He’d been dating someone else for just as long. He’d been lying to me all along. He said... he said he never really loved me...” she trails off, her voice catching. Kristoff is instantly by her side, wrapping an arm around her. She moves into him, and he feels warm tears fall onto his chest. He slides his other arm around her, letting her cry into his hoodie.

“I’m so _stupid,_ ” she hiccups, her voice muffled into Kristoff’s chest.  He hugs her a little tighter.

“You are _not,_ ” Kristoff says his voice firm, internally picturing how Hans would look if his sideburns were ‘accidentally’ shaved off. “Hans is the stupid one. Not you.” He kisses the top of her head softly as she sobs quietly into him. “Not you.”

                                                                                                                                 ***

The first time he meets Elsa is a few days later. Anna brings her to the coffee shop, and introduces the two at the counter. Elsa smiles, and tells Anna to grab a seat, that she’ll get these. Ana’s eyes flicker between her sister and Kristoff; she shrugs, and heads to her regular table.

Elsa looks at the menu on the wall behind Kristoff, and Kristoff looks at her; he can see the resemblance between Elsa and her younger sister, both facially and in their personality. Although Elsa seems more... mature, for want of a better word, there’s a similar innocence to her, a confidence that comes across in her bearing similar to the one which shines through Anna’s demeanour.

Elsa’s eyes meet Kristoff’s, and she bites her lip before ordering an iced mocha, as well as Anna’s order. Kristoff nods, and tells her he’ll bring it over, but she remains at the counter for a moment. Kristoff smiles nervously at the blue eyes watching him, so like Anna’s, and wonders if he’s being evaluated.

“I don’t know what happened on Monday,” she says softly, clearly not wanting Anna to hear, “but Anna came back, and she was smiling again.” A smile of her own softens her stern expression. “Thank you. Whatever you did, it helped my little sister.”

Kristoff nods. “Any time,” he says. Elsa’s smile turns into a grin.

“And the thing is, you honestly mean it,” she giggles, her hand covering her mouth. She heads over to the table where Anna is sitting, looking slightly concerned, and Kristoff wonders if he’s just gotten Elsa’s approval.

                                                                                                                                 ***

The first time they kiss is in spring. They’ve been spending more and more time together outside of the cafe, and are walking the dogs in the park when Anna remembers.

“Hey, I’ve got a present for you!” she exclaims, one hand rootling in her bag whilst the other keeps Olaf from bounding away into the flowers. She pulls out a black box, and hands it to the bewildered Kristoff.

“What for?” he asks. She giggles.

“Open it!” Anna instructs. Kristoff does, and looks at the watch placed in the centre of the deep blue velvet inside the box. He blinks.

“Anna...”

“It’s to replace the one you broke when I knocked you over by accident! I realised you hadn’t bought a new one, so decided to get you one!” she says excitedly. Kristoff blinks.

“Anna, thank you, but I can’t accept this-“

“You have to. My orders. No take-backs.” She crosses her arms, pouting slightly. Her eyes widen in worry.

“Do you like it?” she asks. Kristoff grins, and, after placing the watch in his backpack, scoops her into her arms, spinning her around. She lets go of Olaf, who sprints into the flowerbed, followed by Sven.

“Like it? I _love_ it! I could kiss you!” he says without thinking. Silence falls between them, and he places Anna back on the ground, his hand moving from her waist to the back of his neck.

“I mean... I’d like to. I – may I? We may? I mean, may we? Wait, what?” he babbles, frowning at his lack of eloquence at this pivotal moment. Before he has time to get too frustrated at himself, he feels lips on his cheek. He looks at Anna, who’s grinning widely.

“We may,” she says, and Kristoff wastes no time in cupping her face and bringing his lips to hers.

                                                                                                                                    ***

Their first date is awkward. They both know they’re on a delicate precipice, moving from friendship to a _relationship_ , and aren’t sure how this change will work for them.

The movie they go to see is cute, some Disney film, and they leave the cinema humming the catchy power-ballad from the middle of the movie. Kristoff doesn’t know whether or not to hold Anna’s hand, doesn’t know if she hates public displays of affection, and doesn’t know if she saw him tear up when the main character sacrificed herself for her sister (and if she did, he wonders whether or not he can pass it off as having allergies).

He’s not sure how to be a boyfriend: he’s never been one before. He’s racking up the courage to take her hand ( _how_ something so small can be so intimidating, he has no idea) when she makes the move instead. His hand, which feels gargantuan in comparison to her delicate one, is enveloped by warmth, and he blushes when Anna looks up at him, smiling gently.

“Hey,” she says, bumping her hip against his, “no need to be so tense. It’s just me. Ok?” He grins sheepishly and nods.

He may not know how to be a boyfriend, but he knows how to be Kristoff. And that might just be enough.

                                                                                                                                    ***

The first time he says “I love you” doesn’t go quite as he plans.

He wants it to be done right; after all, he’s never said it before - not like this. He’s said it to his family plenty of times, but not to Anna. It’s a big deal.

He wants there to be flowers, and candles, and maybe chocolates (not because they’re romantic, but his girlfriend has the biggest sweet tooth he’s ever encountered) – every cliché one can imagine, because he wants to get the point across as vividly as possible. Kristoff wants to shout it from the roof, yell it at random customers, punch Hans (although that’s just a long-term fantasy, nothing to do with loving Anna), and generally let Anna know in every way possible that he loves her more than he knows how to express it.

But that doesn’t happen.

Instead, they’re lying on his sofa, watching the movie they saw on their first date on DVD (which Kristoff _definitely_ bought for Anna and “forgot” to give to her) whilst Anna leans into her boyfriend, clad in a pair of boxer and his grey hoodie, the one she cried into once upon a time. Kristoff, his pyjama bottoms rolling up as Anna’s feet stroke his leg absentmindedly, doesn’t mean to say it. But her head is on his shoulder, hair pooling across her back, and he can smell the strawberry shampoo she uses, and when she laughs at the film it sounds like sunlight, bright and warm, and the words come tumbling out without his permission.

“I love you.”

Her reaction is instantaneous: her head swivels round, eyes widening as she meets his gaze. The icy blue depths of her eyes fill with happiness, and Kristoff just has time to see her smile before her arms are wrapped around his neck and her lips are on his. His hand cups her face as the other pulls her closer to him. Anna moves so she’s straddling him, pressing their bodies as closely together as she can, her fingers softly raking through his soft hair. She pulls away, both of them breathless, and moves her hands so they’re caressing his face, her expression one of complete contentment.

“I love you, too,” she says, before kissing him again.

And Kristoff realises that _how_ he said it had never mattered; the meaning was there, even if the flowers and chocolate weren’t.


End file.
